Day: 127 5/3/95 Exeter to Budleigh Salterton

Weather: Cold, calm mainly sunny.

Distance: 27 km, (16.8 miles)    Total Distance: 1578 miles

It was a good day for walking; calm, cold, dry and sunny.  I made a decision on the previous night to go down for a day's coastal walking just for the day, as a similar day's walk back in November had been successful.  It had snowed everywhere on Thursday night but the sun on Friday had cleared most of it.  The forecast was for a sunny morning with snow and showers coming in in the afternoon.  It was frosty when I left Coventry.  The start of this walk was easily accessible - just at the end of the M5.  I got up early and was on the road by 6.45 am.

The first part of the walk was along the banks of the River Exe.  The guidebook said this was flooded at high tide.  It was certainly muddy and the undergrowth and dead reeds were dense, but that was not the main problem. There was a swollen stream some four foot wide which I leapt across and got one foot wet. Further on there was an even wider stream so I had to backtrack and got the same leg wet crossing the first stream! Not a good start to a walk especially considering that I had had a bad foot for the previous month and had been receiving treatment at the work's physiotherapist.

I back tracked and tried again to cut along the estuary near a trailer park, but it was heavily labelled up as private.  I thus returned to the main road and walked south, under the M5 and just as I was consulting a map, an elderly cyclist stopped and offered help.  He told me to cut down to the Exe again through a shipyard.  The walkway along the bank was just passable as the tide was going out.  Skirting around a playing field and I ended up in Topsham, a very pretty village, crowded even with visitors at that time of year.  At the end of the quay, I followed a country lane that doubled back into Topsham also crowded with people out for a stroll in the sun.

The road bent again over the River Clyst, and then a new footpath only recently opened judging by the posing of planning applications, led me onto the main road to Exmouth. I followed this making a detour through the expensive village of Exton, and then past the Royal Marine barracks before cutting down into the village of Lympstone, another nice looking place.  Failing to find a shop I stopped at the pub for a pint of shandy and some dry roasted peanuts.  A blackboard advertised the Wales vs. Scotland rugby international match on that afternoon - I was tempted to stay!  I had mainly dried out by then except inside my boot!

The next part of the walk was first along the beach and then along a path besides the single track railway line.  The path was badly flooded and one lady came wading in the other direction carrying a puppy.  I kept on the line side of the fence to avoid the water but I knew it was safe since a train had just gone past.

The trek around the outskirts of Exmouth was pleasant enough. It went past the bus station, a park, the docks (part of which I ended up backtracking trough), and then around the corner and back to seaside resort type views, large hotels and lots of evidence of recent winds having blown sand onto the coast road.

I was making good time so decided to carry on to Budleigh Salterton.  A steep path took me up to cliff height. Two ladies were walking the stretch looking as if they were going all the way to Budleigh, but one was wearing what looked like brand new suede shoes - not quite the thing for a muddy path, so she soon turned back.

I had been hoping for a pleasant cliff-top ramble, but not long after leaving Exmouth, I came upon a large caravan camp. The best thing that could be said of it was that it was mainly deserted. The coast path went straight though the park, on the landward side of a marine firing range. I went down a path and considered the possibility of cutting down onto the beach here since it looked clear all the way to Budleigh. Weather erosion of the red clay meant that the last part of the drop to the beach looked less than possible. I retraced those few yards, took a picture on behalf of a group of youngsters out for the weekend and headed off to the cliffs.

The remaining part of the walk into Budleigh was pleasant enough.  I took the path to the far end of the town and only felt tired when I turned back and entered the town to search for the bus stop back to Exeter.  The TIC was closed. I was tempted to stop in the pub where there was a TV showing the rugby game. I managed to catch a glimpse of the score before I got asked what I wanted to drink. My country was loosing so I headed out again.  Wales were having a bad year. They ended up with the wooden spoon and no championship points.  Only the second time ever I was told that they failed to get at least one point.

An elderly lady informed me the bus stop was only just around the corner.  Now being quite foot weary and my strained tendon in my toe was complaining by now, I could have done without the less than helpful bus driver who drove past my stop at Countess Weir.

A successful days walk. Darkness began to fall as I was having a cup of tea at he services near Bridgwater. I arrived home in time to see my kids before they went to bed.